“They Feel That’s the Fastest Way Round…”: Red Bull F1 Savant Reveals Ferrari’s Sacrifice for Greater Performance

There have been some big changes in the regulation for the 2022 season. And who better to get a detailed description of how dramatic the shakeup is than Red Bull Racing’s Adrian Newey himself?

Adrian joined Formula 1 when ground effect had started to make its way to the grid. Having done his thesis on ground-effect aerodynamics, he soon joined Fittipaldi Automotive as Chief Aerodynamicist in 1980. Since then he has gone on to design many legendary cars. From Indycar, Formula 1, and Production cars, he has seen it all.  And his latest design for Red Bull Racing, the RB18, clearly has benefitted from his years of experience.

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While many cars currently on the grid continue to struggle with the porpoising issue; the RB18 seems to be completely immune to such a phenomenon. In a recent interview with The Race, Adrian Newey gets candid about the new car and talks about how important drivers are for feedback.

Adrian explains why RB18 doesn’t suffer from porpoising

If there is one word that has dominated the Formula 1 dictionary, then it is the word porpoising. Simply put, it’s a name that describes a car mimicking the movement of a porpoise when it travels through the water. This phenomenon generally occurs down the main straight when the F1 cars start to hit their top speeds. While it is necessarily not a bad thing, it has hurt some more than others.

However, when anyone looks at the Red Bull’s RB18, the issue seems to be non-existent. Clearly, it looks like the Milton Keynes-based outfit has managed to get on top of the issue while generating a good amount of downforce. When asked why it is so, he mentioned that making the airflow work together under the floor is essential.

Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – April 23, 2022 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the sprint race REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini

Red Bull’s main rival, Ferrari on the other hand experiences the same issue differently. The F1-75 has porpoising till the end of the fast straights but seems to generate more low-speed downforce. Expanding on this, Adrian explained Ferrari’s sacrifice by stating, “I guess they feel that’s the fastest way round, so you trade a bit of driver comfort and initial braking performance.”

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He further insisted that RedBull doesn’t feel the need to go down that path. He said, “No, your set-up is driven by your aero map so what works on one won’t work on another car.”

Driver importance and how they help evolve the car

Drivers are an integral part of any team to be developing the car throughout the season. While the feedback will vary from driver to driver, it is essential to understand the characteristics of the car. Furthermore, trying to correlate the feedback from the simulator and the results from the track is the key ingredient to maximizing the most out of a new car.

Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – April 24, 2022 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crosses the line to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool

“The driver is an important part of the loop,” claims Newey. He then went onto explain that cars from previous years were a lot more different. While they were quick to rotate, it could be nervous on entry and Max somehow found a way to put it to great effect. Adrian Newey also had high praises for Max’s teammate Sergio Perez.  Traditionally speaking, apart from Checo, both Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly found it extremely difficult to get used to the cars. But in the last few races, Perez seems to be more dialed in with the new car and has been having very strong results.

It will be interesting to see how Red Bull will improve their car throughout the year to stay in front of the Ferraris.

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